HappyTrails

Uh oh!

Note to self: check why iPhone pics load sideways...sorry. It's ok though, just tip your head 90 degrees :)

A little behind in updates

We're in Central Florida and have been since October. The weather has been fantastic and our schedule has been full.

This week we are enjoying Boston Red Sox Spring Training at Jet Blue park. We'll let you know how we feel about it all after another game or two.

As the song goes, "On the road again" - soon!

We're almost ready to get back on the road. We'll be visiting DC next month. Our motorhome is all serviced, new tires (ouch) and we're hoping fir some great spring weather.

With fuel prices escalating we have planned travels with shorter distances and longer stays in mind. We hope to spend a few months in the mid Atlantic and a couple months in New England before heading south again in the fall.

Check back soon and thanks for stopping by. Happy Trails to you!

Anyone love caves?

I saw this post on the National Parks blog about a special tour (for free) at Mammoth Caves in Kentucky.  I thought I'd share.  I find some great information at the National Parks blog. (sometimes I disagree with their posted "point of view."   In any case, this opportunity is available if you happen to be in that part of the country.

Mammoth Cave free tour day

In other news, we will be leaving the Yellowstone area soon and I must admit I'm ready.  The weather has been good but it's starting to feel like fall.  We will head on over to the west coast for DRs appointments and that pesky last storage unit issue.  

I must admit that as much as I love my many months in the RV traveling like a vagabond,  I'm kind of missing the Florida house....well, the patio.  The pups love it too.

The BEFORE

 
 The REDO

The NEW 

 
  Clancy and Gracie LOVE to hang out on the screened patio.

Where ever you are or are traveling we hope you're having a great time.  

Happy Trails! 

The tree shapeup

Our live oak has been dramatically pruned. We hope it will now have
less resistance should a hurricane produce high winds this summer.



Sent from my iPhone

Treework

Today we hope to have our treework done so that the big oak tree over our patio doesn't blow over if a hurricane comes through central Florida.  We debated about the tree when we extended the lanai and added a screen room (Not shown in this "before" photo).  The tree provides very valuable shade that gives us the ability to enjoy our patio in the hot southwest directed sun.  We worked around the tree and built the patio and have been very happy to have that tree.  Other folks who have screened patios find it difficult to use them when afternoon sun blasts them for hours.   So the tree pruning event is a huge one for me.  I know we need to reduce the volume that could turn the tree into a sail that catches hurricane winds but on the other hand I want to retain as much shade as possible.  We'll see how it goes.  

 

About a week and we're on the road again

We've been consumed by getting this little house updated in central Florida.  Very little had been updated since it was built in 1993 or so.  We redid the kitchen; floor, cabinets, appliances, countertops....the whole thing.  We also redid the floors throughout the house and extended the lanai with a screen enclosure.  There's more to do but for now we'll be heading out of the humidity for the next several months.  

We'll be arriving in Tetons National Park in July.  The next stop will be West Yellowstone and then on to Glacier.  If we can afford the cost we hope to head north into Alberta and cross to British Columbia via Banff, etc.  We had planned that area of travel when we were preempted by last year's family matters.  The Pacific Northwest is familiar territory for us but we never tire of visiting the region and we have several options for keeping cost down once we get along the coast.  We'll make our way via Oregon to California to take care of the final business in our old home town area and start our return East.  We expect to be back to our house in Florida in mid to late October.  Well...that's the plan.  As we all know things can change but for right now we're looking forward to traveling.

Our neighbors to each side of this house are traveling in the summer months also.  One couple have returned to Minnesota for the their annual summer and the other has left for the West coast.  The West coast traveling pair have a small A-frame trailer that suits them perfectly for the several months they will be on the road.  It seems that a good number of residents here leave for at least part of the hot, humid time of year so we're not out of sync with the community for being road travelers.

These times are troubling and with little economic relief on the horizon I can't help but wonder how much of our hard earned retirement time can be spent doing the things we have enjoyed for the past five years.  One thing for sure is that things change and I pray that some good change will return us to the optimistic days I knew not that long ago.  RVing has a way of helping me focus on the positive.  

Happy Trails!

Dipping my toes in...

I've been missing on my blog lately but a change is about to occur. We are leaving Florida where we've been pitting a part time house together in Lake County. We have spent a good deal of time in various parts of the state and times being what they are it seemed like a good idea to nail down a future plan. So, we will head out to visit three national parks and take care of some final business on the west coast.

We should have some interesting posts over the next 4-5 months of travel.

Our Boston's are ready to go!

Happy trails!

Waiting out the weather watch

We decided to wait a few hours before heading north up the center of Florida.  Tornado watches were in effect and the very place are headed was in the center.  The likelihood of being in themidst of the tornado was low but still why push it?  The weather watch has now been lifted and we'll be headed to Clermont, FL shortly. We will visit a bit with our friends in Leesburg, check the weather through Alabama and North into Tennessee.  If all looks clear we'll make our way to one of the national sites that Jack has been looking forward to visiting, Shilo. Our next scheduled appointment is May 1 in Nappanee, IN.  I'm looking forward to our new desk/credenza.

Update on the puppy:  He's almost 6 months old and he's doing well.  He's full of puppy antics but he is also learning to be more patient and to follow the family rules.  Like the Dog Whisperer says...Boundaries, Discipline, Affection... sometimes he gets the affection first but hey, he's a puppy.

Happy Trails!

US 27 North through the Everglades

This route out of the Keys and around the heavily populated areas of Miami and Ft Lauderdale is much more interesting than the interstate. We would have one or two rest areas.

We will be passing along the West side of Lake Okechobee.